Wireless communication services for mobile vehicles have expanded in recent years beyond navigation and roadside assistance to services such as maintenance and diagnostic functions, system updates, vehicle position determination, unlocking of vehicle doors, or vehicle alarm setting and even personal calling services. It has been predicted that by 2006, almost all new automobiles will be equipped with some type of telematics unit or wireless communication device such as a mobile phone.
A digital wireless telephony mobile phone is typically shipped without a mobile identification number (MIN) or a geographical-specific mobile identification number (geo-MIN) programmed into the unit. The MIN is required for a local wireless telephony service provider to properly address a handset and for the mobile unit to register on the system in the home region or while roaming. Ordinarily, upon delivery and setup, the MIN is downloaded into the handset using over-the-air service provisioning (OTASP). The wireless telephony service provider must configure the mobile unit and the cellular network so that the mobile unit may be accessed using OTASP. If a phone is to be programmed without OTASP, it must be done manually. Manual programming requires knowledge on the part of the consumer or vendor representative to be able to manipulate the device and knowledge of the proper parameter values to program, and to converse with the wireless service provider for assigning appropriate MINs and MDNs (mobile directory numbers). Alternatively, when the vehicle is not in an OTASP-enabled region during the setup, configuration of the system may need to be completed after the vehicle enters an OTASP-enabled region.
There needs to be an alternative, more automated way of programming by which the device can be individually addressed and sent its MIN without requiring an OTASP-enabled wireless carrier system or configuring it manually. This alternative method may become critical for automobile dealers, telematics service providers, and wireless communication carrier systems that need to provision and program in-vehicle mobile phones in a timely manner.
The tremendous increase in the number of in-vehicle phones and growing difficulties in timely provisioning creates the need for an alternative method. The desirable method would help configure, manage, and provision mobile phones found in large fleets of vehicles such as trucks and rental cars. In some cases, mobile phones may not be provisioned immediately in fleet vehicles that have not been placed into service; in contrast, a number of vehicles in large fleets may need quick configuration or reconfiguration and a wireless communication service provider may be unable to provide timely provisioning.
Some wireless telephony service providers may not have sufficient numbers and may require several days to assign or program a new MIN. Delays of provisioning may also occur when local providers of service are not able to provision the mobile phone with a MIN, but have roaming agreements with out-of-area service providers to provide such services when the mobile phone enters their local area.
The above-mentioned delays in provisioning an in-vehicle can be avoidable with an alternative method. An alternative method should be capable of programming a wireless device of a subscriber in the event a suitable MIN is not available at the time of activation, but will be provisioned at some later time. This method may be used to trigger the subscriber device to be provisioned and would allow additional parameters specific to the wireless telephony subscriber device to be downloaded to the mobile vehicle at a later time or by using an alternative communication channel. This would allow a fourth party such as a telematics call center to coordinate the exchange of information among a retail dealer, wireless telephony service provider and a mobile vehicle.
It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a method for activating and provisioning an in-vehicle wireless communication device, and to overcome the deficiencies and obstacles described above.